


The Small Town Job

by sophibug



Category: Leverage
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-17 03:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1372336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophibug/pseuds/sophibug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nate decides that it's time to take on a smaller job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Small Town Job

**Author's Note:**

> This popped into my head, declared that it needed to be written, and is posted here with only one quick beta. This is presumably pre-San Lorenzo or other larger game.
> 
> This is also my first Leverage fic!

Sophie patted the sobbing woman on the hand. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“My son can’t go to college because we can’t pay. He goes to this…” She swallowed back some tears, “this high school that offers college scholarships to the people with the highest standardized test scores. Jeremy studied real hard, got a good score...but the people who get the worst grades, barely do their work, the richest kids at the school...they got even higher scores. It was basically impossible. There must be some sort of cheating ring. Can you help us?” She wiped her eyes. “It’s just that Jeremy is so bright, so bright….”

The entire team turned to Nate, who was sitting impassively with a beer.

“We’ll take the case. It’s a bit smaller than we usually do, but this matters.”

“Thank you.” She dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.

Nate glanced around at his crew. “It’s time for a small town job.”

 *

Parker was sitting in a desk early on a Saturday, taking the SATs. She had absentmindedly sketched the floor plan of the art floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on her paper.

“Put your pencils down.” She paused. “You now have a five minute break. If you want to leave the room…”

Parker zoned out, and after the teacher was done she asked to go to the restroom. She wandered the halls, pilfering watches and bracelets from passerby. Four minutes later, she came back towards the door.

“Nate.”

“What is it, Parker?”

“The new proctor. I recognize her. She’ll recognize me.”

“Right. We need everyone to get out of there.”

“I think she just saw me,” Parker whispered.

“Hardison?”

The fire alarm rang through the halls, and students began to stand up and leave in a trained fashion. Parker melted easily into the crowd.

“Nate. We have a problem. Someone is sending long distance signals out of there. It’s not just a small ring. It’s bigger than this.”

 *

Hardison pulled up the news, a giant grin on his face. The news reporter stood, waiting for the signal to start.

“Breaking news! An unbelievably huge SAT cheating ring has been revealed across the entire country. Both parents and children are involved in the giant scam, as well as several hundred thousand dollars. Such people as CEOs and the Vice President of the States were involved in this. The Vice President has put three children through college, and his youngest is just receiving her college acceptances. The scandal….”

Her voice was drowned out by the clinking of bottles and making of toasts.

“Booyah, baby. I just brought the Vice President down!”

“Not just you, Hardison.” Eliot took a drink. “And we brought him down for a cheating ring.”

“So what?” Hardison drained the last of his beer. “We are totally beast.”

“Let’s go shopping!” Shouted Parker, descending the stairs. She didn’t notice everyone else’s confused looks as she sat down and began to elaborate her plan.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Have you noticed that they mostly start out with a little personal thing and end up taking down the entire system? Yeah. That.


End file.
